The Muse: Country Club

 I may or my not have been illegally trespassing on a golf course when I took these photos. I was on my way home and there it was. It was like I had no control over my car it just shot into the golf course's private road. Besides I figured wearing a polo shirt I could pass for a lady golfer. In truth I was quite an avid golfer in my youth. My father was president of a country club and it was one of the few ways we could spend weekends together. When I was about 10 or 11 he gave up golfing (mostly) and bought a boat, which he named the Usta Golf. WIth that name you would think we were rock stars, whenever he radioed a marina people got unusually excited, mainly because so many golfers usta golf in another life. That and it was cleaver funny name. Once we became a family that spent their weekends boating instead of golfing I lost all my skills, though I wouldn't mind taking it up again, though it is an expensive hobby. Then maybe I wouldn't have to break into the country club anymore to take outfit pictures. On second thought, delinquency is much more fun.

Shirt: Chaps, thrifted via Into the Wardrobe
Skirt: Talbots, thrifted via Wheeler School Clothing Sale
Purse: vintage, via Hall's on Broadway
Headband: Chic 2 Chic
Shoes: Lela Rose for Payless
Sunglasses: J. Marcel

The Muse: Granny Chic

I am not contemporary in my fashion, by any means. I love vintage, and even in current clothing I'm still a sucker for silhouettes of eras gone by. I like to think of myself as fashionable without truly being in fashion. I'm not a sucker for labels, I don't really do trendy, I definitely beat to my own drummer. If hard pressed to describe my style I like classic shapes with and nontraditional style. Pattern mixing, wild colors, unexpected elements. Now that doesn't really fit into one of those neat categories that they give you on a magazine quiz like "preppy" or "girly" or "bohemian". Some days I am those things, more or less. Other days I'm something totally different. I don't know what box I fit into, but I do know what I like and what I don't like, which makes shopping and putting together an outfit in the morning a whole lot easier. And it never fails to amaze me how many people have no idea what they like, they just buy clothes because they're on trend or on the rack at the moment. They must never be very comfortable.

 As for granny chic, toddy I have it all. Floral pattern of a 1960's sofa: check, pearls: check, cameo: check, embroidered carpet bag: check, lace: check, more floral on my shoes: double check. Perhaps the only thing I don't have is a lot of actual vintage, with the exception of accessories my whole outfit is contemporary, but put them together and you better keep you eyes peeled for rogue reindeer on Christmas Eve. Granny chic is sort of like watching the Golden Girls, you're not there yet, but you sort of want to be. The freedom of being able to say pretty much whatever you want with no repercussions and sit around in Florida with nothing to do but gossip. That being said Bea Arthur is not a look I'm ready to try out. That's the 'chic' part talking.

Cardigan: Old Navy
Lace Blouse: Xhilaration via Target
Skirt: Worthington via J.C. Penny
Belt: vintage, via Wright Square Antique Mall 
Brooch: vintage, via Pastimes Consignments
Shoes: Bandolino via DSW
Purse: vintage, Jaclyn, via RI Antiques Mall

The Muse: 4th of July

I took the Fourth of July weekend off, mainly because on Thursday, the atauly 4th of July, I acquired a spectacular sunburn. In my own defense it has been well over 10 years since I had another. I am very pale and take especially good care of my skin, wearing SPF 85 every day, even in the winter. Except apparently on holidays when I have too much beer and take a nap in the sun. I was rather cranky and uncomfortable for the first two days after, but I made sure to use lots of after sun care products and was able to stave off peeling except for a tiny patch at the base of my nose. Its faded to tan now, but I fee like I have to be extra vigilent for the rest of the summer, especially because I had several ugly looking moles taken off this spring. But I'm only human, so hopefully my lapse is forgiven.

I actaully have only a few really bad, quickly done shots of my 4th of July outfit, however I thought you might enjoy some shots of the beatutiful weather and lots of fun we had at cousin Sue's beach house in Little Compton, RI. Its been in her family since the 1920's and sits right on the ocean. they got some damage from the most recent hurricanes, but everything as ship shape and party ready come the 4th. I've spent just about every 4th of July there for as long as I can remember, and the tradition in carrying on the the next generation with my step-brother Tom's two young children, Mason and Ethan.

Ethan didn't risk a sunburn, he had a hat!

Charlotte, my sister-in-law's mother with her granddaughter Lilyana

Lily with her very patriotic outfit, her first birthday was actaully the 3rd of July

Lily's older sister Isabel on the porch swing

Ethan wasn't too keen on swimming so he stuck to being a beach bum with me on the sand

My sister-in-law Natalia and Ethan on the swing, Ethan will be one in a couple of weeks

My step-brother Tom taking Isabel swimming off the private beach down the road from the house

Shirt: Gap, thrifted via Chic2Chic
Tank: Old Navy
Skirt: Rafella via Building 19
Purse: vintage, Dover, via Hall's on Broadway
Shoes: Steve Madden, gift

The Muse: Sugar and Spice

 This outfit had everything nice, polka dots, bows, and lace. you can't tell with the shirt over it but the dress actually has a wide 50's style circle skirt to go with the cat's eye glasses. I'm ready for a malted at the soda shoppe. The Pop Art bag falls a little later style wise but I definitely think it still works, carrying it today made me feel bad however, its such a cute bad but I hardly ever bring it out. Deep down I'm a bit of a snob and fabric bags just don't cut it for me. At least it go this day in the sun. If i haven't said it before the 1950's is definitely my favorite era fashion-wise, and the clothes are also the best-cut to suit my figure, so any time I can find modern clothes that echo the era it makes me very happy. This dress fell sort of unexpectedly into my lap last Thanksgiving. My aunt asked my grandmother if she had left it in their hall closet when she was visiting over the summer, because it had been hanging there for several months and no one else had claimed it. My grandmother had apparently gotten it from one of her old neighbors when they had lunch. The woman had bought it and never worn it and wanted to see if my grandmother wanted it. She then abandoned it in my aunt's coat closet. I then gleefully grabbed it and skipped off to the bathroom to try it on. I have no shame, all unclaimed clothing is fair game as far as I'm concerned.

Dress: Suits Us, hand-me-down
Shirt: Liz Lange Maternity (like you've never picked up one off the sales rack accidentally!) via Target
Purse: Burlington Coat Factory
Headband: Forever 21
Shoes: Nine West via Marshall's (old)
Sunglasses: Chic2Chic

Linking up with Transatlantic Blonde

And Rolled Up Pretty

and Style Elixir

The Muse: Petals

 Even though they're not supposed to look like petals, the ruffles on this blouse sort of do, especially when you pair it up with a floral print skirt. As a big chested girl I stayed away from ruffled blouses for a long time, thinking that I certainly didn't need to be adding any volume to that area. Over time I've learned to pick and choose, because material and styling can change even the most voluminous blouse.  I had to roll this skirt a bit because it was too dowdy at its full length, shortened with some of its volume toned down it worked better with this blouse, but I still didn't love it. However I had a last minute wardrobe subtraction to deal with and needed an outfit in a hurry. I leant my black belt to my friend Alyssa to wear to a wedding, and the outfit I had planned just didn't work without the belt. This substitution wasn't bad in a pinch, though in the future I think that this blouse needs a narrower skirt on the bottom. That and I really don't like the buttons, as soon as I find a set I like they'll be history, I prefer not to have large apple shaped gold buttons dictating the metallics I can wear and stealing the show.

Blouse: Apple Bottom Jeans, thrifted via Goodwill
Skirt: Jessica London thrifted via Twice the Diva
Purse: Lulu via Marshall's
Shoes: Merona, thrifted via Twice the Diva